Claimed by the Mad Lycan King

"No, I am sorry; I didn’t mean that." Seara felt really awful. She didn’t know why she thought this way and accused Zade of cheating with Jane; it was very disgusting. "Don’t. I am wrong..."

Her stomach churned with the disgusting thought that plagued her mind, and she went straight to the bathroom and regurgitated on the toilet until she felt the bitterness on the back of her throat.

Meanwhile, Zade held her hair so she wouldn’t dirty herself. He stayed there even when he didn’t need to. He could be angry with her for the wild accusation, but he didn’t show any of it.

And such a calm manner made Seara feel even more disgusted with herself.

"I am sorry, I don’t know what came to my mind. I don’t know why I accused you like that." Seara let Zade help her clean up. "I am sorry; I am being a burden for you."

"You have never been a burden for me, Seara." Zade helped her to sit on the bed.

She lowered her head, too ashamed to see him. "Zade, what if I am going crazy? What if I can’t stop seeing things that shouldn’t be there? What if I can’t differentiate between illusion and reality?"

"Then I will tell you which one is the real thing." Zade took her hands and kissed her knuckles. "Talk to me about whatever crazy it is."

Seara could show her ugly side, the worst part of her, and Zade would love her anyway.

***

"Were you serious that you were going to kill me?" Jane asked Zade once she was done talking to Seara about what she was seeing and why she suddenly thought Zade would leave her, as well as her jealousy toward Jane.

"That was my plan if she was not convinced," Zade admitted without trying to hide it.

"Damn, Zade. I only did my job, and you would kill me. I should be upset about it." Jane shook her head. "You need help too, you know." Jane clicked her tongue. "But then, all the Lycans are crazy to some extent."

"How is she?" Zade asked, ignoring the sarcasm in Jane’s voice.

The topic of killing her was forgotten as she explained to Zade about what Seara thought and why she came to the conclusion that Zade was going to leave her.

"She is trying to push you away because she believes one day you are going to leave her too." Jane made a cup of coffee for herself. "I don’t say that’s right, but that is how she copes. It may not be healthy, of course, but it is important to understand that your mind will protect you in the most bizarre way."

Jane sat down at the furthest chair from Zade. She had never caught feelings for Zade; for her, this Lycan king was too complicated. If anything, she saw him as someone who needed psychiatric help.

"This will not be the last time she tries to push you away in order to validate the negative thoughts in her head. So, she could say it was right. Weird, isn’t it? On how your mind works. You push away the thing that you want the most just because you can’t bear the thought of losing it."

There was silence that stretched between them as they enjoyed their coffee before Zade broke it.

"What about the golden-eyed woman that she saw? Was she part of her delusion?" Zade lifted his head and looked at Jane.

"About that..." Jane touched her chin. "Yes, it should be considered part of her hallucination again, but I feel there is something different about it this time."

Jane then told Zade that Sybill and Sheena had the same characteristic: auburn hair, hazel eyes... as if Seara were seeing her own reflection, without realizing it was her all along.

"She always had a name for the persona that she created in her mind, aside from the man with red eyes and this woman with golden eyes."

Jane was right; Zade noticed that too.

"Zade, the golden eyes belong to the demons," Jane stated the fact. "Do you think—it has started again?

"It has," Zade replied curtly.

The dark time had begun, when the demon’s power was at its peak.

"How many years are left?" Jane tried to count, but her knowledge of history was a little bit awful.

"Ten years from now."

***

"Oliver, where have you been?!" Olivia looked at her brother with a frown. "You couldn’t be contacted for days, and you promised me to take me to look for a new dress for the annual party of the Blaze Company."

Oliver ran his fingers through his messy hair; he dismissed Olivia with a wave. "Next time, Olivia. I don’t have time for it now." He mumbled something Olivia couldn’t hear and then went straight to his bedroom on the second floor.

"Oliver! Oliver!" Olivia was upset because she was being ignored, but Oliver was acting strange. "What is it? Is he broken-hearted or something?"

Olivia stared at her brother’s closed door and then left to do her own thing.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Oliver was staring at his reflection in the mirror. His heart was beating so hard, he thought he was going to have a heart attack.

"This is..." Oliver’s voice was shaking in disbelief. "How—this is real?" He touched his face and stomped on his feet.

"Very happy with your new body?"

Oliver spun on his heel to see Lilith was sitting on the bed. Her golden eyes looked exceptionally captivating under the lamplight.

"How can you do this?" Oliver asked. He narrowed his eyes at the demon before him.

"Oh, Daven... should you question everything?" She tilted her head and let her long black hair fall on the side of her shoulder. "Why can the shifters shift into different forms, and why do the demons hold this power..." she chuckled. "Enjoy your new body, Daven, but don’t forget your deal.

Oliver glanced at his reflection in the mirror.